Articles by Michael Le Pard

About Michael Le Pard

Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists. Total Motorcycle remains his passion project. Combining expert research, hands‑on knowledge and a commitment to helping riders make informed decisions about bikes, gear and safety worldwide.

Top Ten Finish and a Podium at TKO

Aug 16, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Sequatchie, TN Aug 8th-10th, 2025 Top Ten Finish and a Podium at TKO The longest-standing U.S. Hard Enduro, the Tennessee Knockout, celebrated its fifteenth annual running in 2025 at the Trials Training Center in […]

Record-breaking Pirelli supersoft with Gonzalez in Moto2 pole for Perrone in Moto3

Aug 16, 2025 Michael Le Pard

The development E0126 wins the favor of the Moto2™ riders on its debut thanks to its high level of grip; Gonzalez was the best at taking advantage of it, making pole position his own along […]

GLOBAL 2025 “TRIUMPH ORIGINALS” CUSTOM CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED

Aug 16, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Shibuya in São Paulo, Brazil have been crowned the winners of the Triumph Originals 2025 custom competition. Brazil beat four finalists to secure the public vote and judges vote for the most original custom Bonneville […]

Indian Motorcycle riders celebrate at the 2025 UK National Rally in Cornwall

Aug 16, 2025 Michael Le Pard

The Official 2025 Indian Motorcycle Riders (IMR) UK National Rally roared through the rugged and dramatic countryside of Cornwall from August 8–10, bringing together enthusiasts from across the UK, Europe and beyond to celebrate their […]

Summer break is coming to an end for Marc Márquez

Aug 16, 2025 Michael Le Pard

The Ducati Lenovo Team is aiming for its tenth win in Austria The summer break is coming to an end for Marc Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team, ready to get back at […]

MILWAUKEE (August 11, 2025) – Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors rider Briar Bauman rode a Harley-Davidson® XG750R motorcycle to one win and two additional podium finishes during three nights of racing at the historic Jackpine Gypsies short track near Sturgis, S.D., earning vital points in the closely contested Mission SuperTwins championship battle in the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) series. Bauman extended his SuperTwins series lead to seven points. Mission/Roof Systems rider Brandon Robinson also claimed a SuperTwins race win aboard a Harley-Davidson XG750R—his first victory on the bike after playing a key role in its long-term development. In the first AFT AdventureTrackers race of the season, WFOracingonline.com rider Jesse Janisch rode a Harley-Davidson Pan America® 1250 Special to a win and a runner-up finish as the series made its Sturgis debut. H-D Pan America riders Danny Eslick (Saddlemen Race Development) and Henry Wiles (Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson/Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson) also earned podium results. The tripleheader week of short track and TT racing was staged in conjunction with the 85th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Bauman Adds to AFT SuperTwins Points Lead, Robinson Earns First Victory August 4 – The Sturgis AFT SuperTwins triple-header opened on August 4 with Jackpine Gypsies Short Track I. For the second time this season, the event featured the Mission Triple-Challenge format, with the SuperTwins field contesting three races: a 10-lap sprint opener, a 15-lap race, and a 20-lap final. Points escalated with each race, and championship points were awarded based on the combined totals. Bauman set the tone early, topping qualifying with a best lap of 13.435 seconds on the tight 1/5-mile Jackpine Gypsies oval—the shortest track on the 2025 AFT SuperTwins schedule. In the 10-lap sprint, he led from the start with Mission/Roof Systems/Harley-Davidson rider Brandon Robinson and Yamaha’s Dallas Daniels, his closest title rival, in pursuit. Daniels moved past Robinson after two laps, but Bauman had already opened a gap, stretching his lead to 1.329 seconds at the finish. Daniels took second, with Robinson in third. The 15-lap second race was twice red-flagged for on-track incidents. On the third restart, Bauman again took the lead, but Daniels executed a pass for the win mid-race. Bauman held on for second, 0.650 seconds behind Daniels, with Royal Enfield’s Max Whale in third. The 20-lap finale turned into a showdown between Bauman and Daniels, the two swapping the lead several times in the opening laps. Daniels then took control at the front, with Bauman close behind and Robinson, Whale, and Honda’s Trent Lowe in the mix. On lap 19, Bauman retook the lead and held off Daniels and Robinson to claim his second win of the night and the overall event victory with a 1-2-1 score—his sixth AFT SuperTwins win of the season. Daniels (2-1-2) placed second overall, with Robinson (3-4-3) third. “Dallas took me to school in the second Main Event,” said Bauman. “To come back and get him—he usually just builds momentum and gets better throughout the night—was huge. My Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors team worked really, really hard. We changed quite a bit of stuff even though we’d been fast all day. Dallas is so good. I’ve never been this stressed out all the time, but we’re out here, baby, and we’re working for it.” August 5 – AFT SuperTwins raced under its traditional format for Jackpine Gypsies Short Track II. Robinson paced the field in qualifying with a best lap of 13.081 seconds on the Mission/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R motorcycle. Robinson finished second to Daniels in the first heat race, and Bauman won his heat race. At the start of the main event Daniels led the field with Robinson, Bauman and KTM rider Davis Fisher battling on his rear wheel. Robinson passed Daniels to take the lead at the 7-minute mark and the trio of Robinson, Daniels and Bauman opened a gap on the field. At the 4-minute mark Bauman took a low line attempting to pass Daniels for second place and contact sent Daniels to the track. The race was stopped for a red flag, and Bauman and Daniels were penalized and sent to the back of the field for the restart. Robinson led away from the restart as Daniels and Bauman charged from the back row through a pack of 14 bikes. Bauman passed Daniels and worked his way up to third place in the closing laps, while Daniels finished 5th. Robinson crossed the finish line 1.151 seconds ahead of Fisher, with Bauman 1.634 seconds back in third place. Robinson’s win was the first for any rider this season other than title contenders Bauman and Daniels. August 8 – The Jackpine Gypsies facility was converted to a 0.35-mile TT course on a combination dirt and paved surface for the final event of the week, the Jackpine Gypsies Super TT. Bauman finished second to top qualifier Daniels in their heat race, and the pair of rivals lined up on the front row for the main event. Daniels led off the start as Wiles slotted into second with Bauman third. On the second lap Wiles missed a gear shift and Bauman charged past, giving chase to Daniels. Bauman could not quite match the pace set by Daniels on the very technical TT course and trailed by 5.781 seconds at the finish. Wiles finished third. Robinson left the race after 8 laps with a mechanical issue. After 12 of 16 rounds in the 2025 AFT Mission SuperTwins championship, Bauman leads with 243 points, followed by Daniels with 236. Robinson is third with 164 points. The AFT Mission SuperTwins series returns to action August 16 for the Peoria TT at the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Bartonville, Ill. Mission SuperTwins Race Results – Jackpine Gypsies Short Track I (Top 10) 1. Briar Bauman (H-D) Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors 2. Dallas Daniels (Yam) Estenson Racing 3. Brandon Robinson (H-D) Mission/Roof Systems/Harley-Davidson 4. Max Whale (RE) Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield/Fairway Ford/Parts Unlimited 5. Henry Wiles (Yam) DL Racing/HYMMC 6. Trent Lowe (Hon) American Honda/Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods 7. Jarod VanDerkooi (KTM) Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing 8. Davis Fisher (KTM) Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing 9. Dan Bromley (Suz) Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction 10. Logan McGrane (KTM) Schaeffer’s Motorsports Mission SuperTwins Race Results – Jackpine Gypsies Short Track II (Top 10) 1. Brandon Robinson (H-D) Mission/Roof Systems/Harley-Davidson 2. Davis Fisher (KTM) Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing 3. Briar Bauman (H-D) Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors 4. Dan Bromley (Suz) Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction 5. Dallas Daniels (Yam) Estenson Racing 6. Jarod VanDerkooi (KTM) Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing 7. Trent Lowe (Hon) American Honda/Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods 8. Henry Wiles (Yam) DL Racing/HYMMC 9. Justin Jones (KTM) 1st Impressions Race Team/Elder Trucking 10. James Ott (Yam) G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing/Media Home Mission SuperTwins Race Results – Jackpine Gypsies Super TT (Top 10) 1. Dallas Daniels (Yam) Estenson Racing 2. Briar Bauman (H-D) Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors 3. Henry Wiles (Yam) DL Racing/HYMMC 4. Jarod VanDerkooi (KTM) Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing 5. Dan Bromley (Suz) Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction 6. Declan Bender (Yam) Memphis Shades/Black Hills Powersports 7. Max Whale (RE) Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield/Fairway Ford/Parts Unlimited 8. James Ott (Yam) G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing/Media Home 9. Trent Lowe (Hon) American Honda/Progressive Insurance/Mission Foods 10. Logan McGrane (KTM) Schaeffer’s Motorsports Janisch Wins AFT AdventureTrackers Opener August 4 – WFOracingonlin.com rider Jesse Janisch rode a Harley-Davidson Pan America® 1250 Special to victory in the first round of the four-race 2025 AFT AdventureTrackers™ series, a professional racing class for large displacement, street-stock adventure touring motorcycles. In the single 10-lap main event, Janisch passed Suzuki rider Dan Bromley on the second lap and then held the lead as the pair battled for the rest of the race. Janisch, who had ridden a Pan America 1250 Special for back-country exploring in the Black Hills earlier in the day, won by 0.282 seconds. Triumph rider Dalton Gauthier finished third. “We’ve been having a blast,” said Janisch following the race. “I got to ride a Pan America 1250 all day yesterday out in the hills, enjoying the scenic views of Sturgis, which was amazing. I’ve got to thank everyone who helped us out. I had a good battle with Dan, and I’m stoked to get the first one.” August 5 – In the second AFT AdventureTrackers™ event Bromley and Janisch swapped results in the in the main event. Bromley pulled away from the field as Janisch battled for second place with Honda rider Austin Luczak and Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson/Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson rider Henry Wiles and Saddlemen Race Development rider Danny Eslick, both on Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special motorcycles. By the time Janisch broke out of that pack Bromley had opened a lead that stretched to 1.465 seconds at the finish. Luczak finished third, 3.633 seconds behind Bromley. August 8 – Janisch and Bromley lined up on the front row for the AdventureTrackers™ Super TT main event (4 minutes plus 2 laps) in what was expected to be another battle for the two top riders in the class. Bromley led at the start with Janisch right on his wheel and looking for an opportunity to pass in the opening laps, but the fight was over after three laps when Janisch retired with a mechanical issue. Luczak and Harley-Davidson riders Eslick and Wiles took up the chase, but Bromley opened a gap on the field and crossed the finish line 3.596 second clear of Eslick with Wiles third. After three of four rounds in the 2025 AFT AdventureTrackers championship, Bromley leads with 65 points. Janisch is second with 51 points, followed by Eslick with 45 points, Luczak with 43 points, Wiles with 42 points and Gauthier with 41 points. The final race in the 2025 AFT AdventureTrackers series is scheduled for August 16 during the Peoria TT at the Peoria Motorcycle Club in Bartonville, Ill. AFT AdventureTrackers – Jackpine Gypsies Short Track I 1. Jesse Janisch (H-D) WFOracingonline.com 2. Dan Bromley (Suz) Big Momma and Daddy Deep Pockets 3. Dalton Gauthier (Tri) Triumph Racing 4. Austin Luczak (Hon) Memphis Shades/Black Hills Powersports 5. Henry Wiles (H-D) Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson/Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson 6. Danny Eslick (H-D) Saddlemen Race Development 7. Hunter Bauer (BMW) Vinson Construction/Memphis Shades 8. Brandon Paasch (Tri) Triumph Racing 9. Morgen Mischler (BMW) Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction AFT AdventureTrackers – Jackpine Gypsies Short Track II 1. Dan Bromley (Suz) Big Momma and Daddy Deep Pockets 2. Jesse Janisch (H-D) WFOracingonline.com 3. Austin Luczak (Hon) Memphis Shades/Black Hills Powersports 4. Danny Eslick (H-D) Saddlemen Race Development 5. Henry Wiles (H-D) Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson/Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson 6. Chad Cose (H-D) Saddlemen Race Development 7. Dalton Gauthier (Tri) Triumph Racing 8. Hunter Bauer (BMW) Vinson Construction/Memphis Shades 9. Brandon Paasch (Tri) Triumph Racing 10. Morgen Mischler (BMW) Memphis Shades/Corbin/Vinson Construction AFT AdventureTrackers – Jackpine Gypsies Super TT 1. Dan Bromley (Suz) Big Momma and Daddy Deep Pockets 2. Danny Eslick (H-D) Saddlemen Race Development 3. Henry Wiles (H-D) Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson/Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson 4. Dalton Gauthier (Tri) Triumph Racing 5. Austin Luczak (Hon) Memphis Shades/Black Hills Powersports 6. Brandon Paasch (Tri) Triumph Racing 7. Chad Cose (H-D) Saddlemen Race Development 8. William Harris (BMW) Luczak Racing/Memphis Shades ### About Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Our vision: Building our legend and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has defined motorcycle culture with an expanding range of leading-edge, distinctive and customizable motorcycles in addition to riding experiences and exceptional motorcycle accessories, riding gear and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides financing, insurance and other programs to help get Harley-Davidson riders on the road.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON AFT MISSION SUPERTWINS POINTS LEAD AT STURGIS TRIPLE-HEADER

Aug 11, 2025 Michael Le Pard

MILWAUKEE (August 11, 2025) – Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors rider Briar Bauman rode a Harley-Davidson® XG750R motorcycle to one win and two additional podium finishes during three nights of racing at the historic Jackpine […]

Two Pirelli development rears for Moto2 at the Red Bull Ring

Aug 11, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Given the fast layout of the Austrian circuit and low wear levels, this year’s allocation for Moto2™ is softer than in 2024 and will see the debut of the supersoft E0126, alongside the already well-known […]

Ryder LeBlond races to fourth overall in 2025 U.S. Hard Enduro Series

Aug 11, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond claimed fourth position overall in the 2025 U.S. Hard Enduro Series, with a P5 result at the season-ending Tennessee Knockout (TKO) completing what has been a successful year of competition – highlighted by two victories across […]

BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2026 Romania

Aug 11, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Munich. The destination of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2026 has been decided: this time the off-road adventure will take place in Romania in late summer 2026. With this decision, BMW Motorrad opts for a […]

KTM is Back Again With Huge 2026 Motorcycle Model Release!

Aug 11, 2025 Michael Le Pard

First, a warm welcome back KTM as they restart full productions again, you had us worried we might lose you! The good news doesn’t stop there, KTM is Back Again With Huge 2026 Motorcycle Model […]

RJ Hampshire celebrates first-career 450MX podium at Ironman National

Aug 10, 2025 Michael Le Pard

Premier class newcomer RJ Hampshire has captured a first-career 450MX podium result at the ninth round of the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship, with a 3-4 moto scorecard earning the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider second overall in today’s Ironman […]